Hoji Araijin versus Ikkaku Madarame
by VeralicProductions
Summary: Two of the most tenacious shinigami come together in mutual combat! These two are brought together for their shared characteristic: their amazing, broad, unshaven yet rough and charismatic love of combat! Nothing more! 100 chapter extra!


Disclaimer: Hoji Araijin belongs to me, Dagon. Ikkaku Madarame belongs, obviously, to Tite Kubo. This fight scene is totally incidental and has nothing to do with my proper story. Enjoy, and thanks for all the views and favs!

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"Hello all" I speak, clad in traditional black kimono with a cloth over my face to hide my identity. I opt for a fish drawing on my face, being Dagon and whatnot. Really, I don't need quotes, do I? "Meta-humor aside, thank you all for your unwavering awesomeness in your support of my FanFic epic 'The Berserker King, Shin Kenpachi'. As most of you may agree, Kubo is getting...a bit weird lately. It's like reading DBZ with swords that transform into bigger swords lately, though not to say that that, in itself, isn't pretty damn cool. Still, Aizen is getting a bit too stupid in terms of power, so I've primarily been concentrating on plotting and guiding my own story and characters rather than read for someone else."

"Still, the same questions often arise. What would Shin do in a fight against Aizen? How would Hoji, a general 'STFU' to authority young warrior, fair in the modern Seireitei? Who is the apparent origin of my characters? With some it's obvious, others not so much. This match-up, I decided, would be all-too-honest in terms of similarity. Therefore, I have decided to celebrate my success on one hundred chapters, with well over that yet to come, by facing off my wind-powered badass **Hoji Araijin** against the _real_ berserker of squad 11, **Ikkaku Madarame!** Bankai-brain versus actual Bankai!"

**GO!**

So there they stood, two men of near identical build and aural toughness, opposite a dusty field...No. That's redundant. Re-do!

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So there they stood, two men of near identical build and aural toughness, opposite each other on the roof of the Karakura high-school. Hoji, distinguishable by his red forehead X and actual hair that billowed in the cool human-world breeze. The other had no hair, and was forced into the encounter still dressed in his casual, everyday, nonchalant student uniform. This day, however, he kept his actual zanpakuto at his side. A brief silence was measured between them as they let the breeze carry the conversation part of their duel away.

"Tch" Hoji scoffed. "You're the best in the living world?"

"What're you talking about?" Ikkaku demanded. "Didn't you send me this letter? You wanted to see what the best could do, so you sent it to me! You must think I'm the best then!"

"I sent that to everyone everywhere" Hoji said. "The fact that you're the first to show up shows initiative, as well as egoism." Ikkaku became suddenly enraged. A vein popped up on his forehead.

_This bastard challenged everyone?_ Ikkaku thought in a rage. _Even captain Hitsugaya? Did he even challenge Ichigo and Renji? So why'd they chicken out like this?_

"Someone sent me a letter back" Hoji said "but it's a denial. Someone with a weird penname. He wrote 'Are you stupid? Why would I fight you? Who are you? What are you doing in the Living World? Get a life and quit screwing around!' Signed 'Strawberry' Kurosaki. You know him?"

_Even **he** denounced the challenge?_ Ikkaku thought in a livid rage. _Clearly I'm the only one with the guts to stand up to this rebel bastard._ "Okay, guy. Go ahead and draw! I'm ready to fight you whenever you want!"

"Are you sure?" Hoji asked. "I mean, what about your body?" Ikkaku looked down and recognized that he was still in his gekai, his human shell form. He popped in a spirit-candy from his pocket and was out of his body with his sword taken from his belt in an instant. Hoji smirked and scoffed in his signature way upon seeing Ikkaku shed his human form.

"Tch, well that's handy" Hoji said. "What kind of limits does that body drag you down with, then?"

"All kinds" Ikkaku said. "I'd rather we not discuss it in detail. Let's just fight." Hoji drew his sword in a reverse grip, blade pointed out. He took a brutish stance, with his unarmed shoulder and part of his back aimed at Ikkaku and his sword almost out of sight. Ikkaku just stood with his sword held out and his sheathe held at his side. Their eyes met with an intense glare. A shot of sparks went between them and a gleam of angry sunlight reflected from either head like two focused beams aimed at the other. A mighty heat formed between them from the reflecting sun's light bouncing from their shiny, bald heads. Irking both of them to the point of breaking.

Ikkaku dashed forward, countered by Hoji, and their blades met. Hoji countered by swinging his sword up, keeping his fist tight on the grip as Ikkaku powered his own sword down with both hands.

"What was that, kido?" Ikkaku asked.

"What was what?" Hoji asked. They pushed away and Ikkaku pointed an accusing finger Hoji's way.

"You tried to blind me just now!" Ikkaku proclaimed. "That flash of light was some pitiful desperation tactic because you can't stand a true man's one-on-one fight, wasn't it?"

"Tch" Hoji scoffed. "You're a lot dumber than that eyeliner leads you on to be." Ikkaku's eyes twitched.

"What'd you say, jackass?" he lowed.

"Did your bis-sissy help you apply that crap?" Hoji mocked.

"Big talk" Ikkaku growled. "I guess X must mark the spot for dumbass!" Hoji stepped back and grunted as if he'd just blocked a high blow.

"What kind of tough-talker dresses up and hangs around with a bunch of snotty kids all day?" Hoji growled, forcing Ikkaku back a whole step. No matter how verbal their war became or how degenerated their smack talk was, neither tempted to toe the line of that sacred trait they shared. No baldy jokes were even passively made. They treated the head of the other as his own head, for their heads were mostly the same, and though Hoji had hair he knew it was plainly out of sight. Their baldness was a brotherly tie that kept them smiling as they threw their insults back and forth, mocking posture and pose, muscle-tone and bone structure, brothers in baldness!

* * *

Then they fought again. Hoji caught Ikkaku's sword in a guard and made a sweeping kick. Ikkaku jumped over it and held his sword against Hoji's, pressing down harder as he landed. Hoji tilted his sword so that Ikkaku's would follow straight into the floor. Hoji shoulder-charged Ikkaku from below and lifted him off his feet. Then, taking a short hop back, Hoji lined himself up and caught Ikkaku as he fell with a straight and powerful kick. Ikkaku took the blow by tightening his abs and landed in a skid along the floor. Hoji came in low to the ground with his sword held proper and his tongue rolled out. He swung at Ikkaku's gut and hopped around on his free hand as a third foot. Ikkaku stabbed his sword down at Hoji like a spear, trying to nick him and jar him away from his relentless, animistic assault. Hoji jumped back and landed on both feet a good distance away.

"Tch" he scoffed, "is that all you can do? Swing a sword around? Even _I've_ got a more complex style than that!"

"Like what?" Ikkaku asked. Hoji pointed at him with his middle finger. Ikkaku rushed in, ignoring the obvious threat of a kido-spell in the work and tried to cut at Hoji's hand. Hoji curled his finger up and followed Ikkaku's blade down with his fist, punching it deep into the solid roof between them. Hoji glared up, his sword still wielded and wound back to swing, and switched his fist for his foot. Ikkaku just grunted and forced his sword out while Hoji leaned in and swung. Ikkaku escaped with a shallow cut across his chest and returned to the fight blocking Hoji's repeated, wild swings.

"A true warrior" Ikkaku said "doesn't need any fancy tricks like kido to be victorious!"

"A true warrior" Hoji refuted "doesn't talk during a fight!" Hoji and Ikkaku stood against each other, Ikkaku holding his sword fast against Hoji's. He used both hands, but Hoji only used one and pressed against the blunt edge of his blade with his chest for added power. Hoji and Ikkaku locked their glaring eyes and grinned at each other and pushed. Hoji palmed the blunt tip of his blade and gave more push than Ikkaku could counter, toppling the modern warrior off his feet and into the air. Hoji slashed from the ground straight up, right into Ikkaku's static guard, forcing him into the air further. Hoji followed up with a downward slash that threw Ikkaku down to the floor again. Then Hoji did another upwards slash, two-handed, and forced Ikkaku off his feet and higher than before. Hoji followed him in a jump and made a powerful, winding slash that sent the shinigami straight against the chainlink fence around the roof and off the building. Hoji dashed over and stood on the edge of the fence.

"Tch" Hoji scoffed. "This is the strongest one to respond to my challenge? I'm unimpressed. The shinigami of this place obviously don't train as much as they should!" Ikkaku heard Hoji's mocking from the shallow crater he had landed in down on the track. He picked himself up and grabbed the sheathe of his sword.

"You're not a normal pest" Ikkaku said. "There's something real feral about you, you know? Something serious and crazed, like an animal." Hoji landed gently with a guiding gust of wind.

"Tch, a lot of people tend to call me a monster" Hoji said. "I'm actually comfortable with that."

"Monster?" Ikkaku lowed. His eyes were cast in shadow and his snarling grin grew across his face. "You? A monster? I've seen a real monster fight, pal, and I've sworn my life to fight and die under his command! You don't stack up to him at all! Against the great **Zaraki Kenpachi** you're little more than wind-resistance for him to swing his sword against."

"Tch?" Hoji grunted in surprise. "Did you say...**Kenpachi?**" Ikkaku prepared his sword. He slammed the tip of his sheathe against the pommel of his zanpakuto.

"Extend! _**Hozukimaru!**_" With a radiant flash his blade grew. He took his hands into position along the enlightened shaft and produced, right before Hoji's eyes, **a mighty wax-wood halberd spear!** Ikkaku immediately attacked with a quick jab and a follow-up slash. Hoji ducked the stab and jumped away from the slash. He held his sword forward as Ikkaku dashed in to attack. He swung his weapon with powerful, broad strokes. Hoji leaned and slid away with the simplest ease, getting hit by the breeze that the spear threw out.

"Where's that intensity?" Ikkaku asked. "Haven't you ever seen a shikai before?"

"Not one this simple" Hoji admitted. He blocked the blade and led it to hit the ground. Ikkaku smirked and jerked the spear back, hopping backward to gain enough ground to make a daring thrust. Hoji punched the flat of the spear blade to the side and rushed in. Ikkaku braced for Hoji's attack by holding the shaft of his spear up. Hoji swung into it on a seemingly blind swing. His blade hit against the wood without sinking in, as it was harder than it appeared. Ikkaku spun his spear around and brushed the horsetail pommel over Hoji's face. It daunted Hoji just enough for Ikkaku to jab the blunt end of his spear into Hoji's face and then sweep the blunt edge of the blade under his feet. Hoji was off the ground for a moment as Ikkaku wound his spear up for a downward stab.

"Tch" Hoji growled. He braced his fall with both his hands and dashed off to the side, abandoning his sword on the ground. Ikkaku followed Hoji's dash and immediately lost him.

_He's moving this fast?_ Ikkaku thought. _It's not even flash-steps and he's moving faster than I can follow! Was his sword just holding him back from releasing his full power?_ Ikkaku turned around again to meet Hoji's flying foot. The wild fighter kicked his feet one after the other into Ikkaku's face and then planted both on top of his head. He jumped down just as Ikkaku swung blindly over himself. Hoji landed in a roll and recovered his sword, Ikkaku's back so perfectly exposed that the fighter froze suddenly. After a moment of tense silence and inaction, Ikkaku grinned and turned around with his guard up in full. Hoji swung right into his spear again with a sneering grin.

"You're an honorable guy" Ikkaku said. "Anyone else would've taken that shot!"

"A coward cuts his enemy's back" Hoji declared "while not glaring his own enemy down." Ikkaku grinned and broke their stalemate. He set his spear up again in a stabbing pose while Hoji held his sword forward in a reverse grip.

"Why don't you try it?" Ikkaku said. "Bring the fight up to my level, if you can!"

"My shikai isn't as forward as yours is" Hoji admitted. "And its way more powerful." Ikkaku snarled.

"Do it!" Ikkaku shouted. "I refuse to fight you at anything less than your highest ability! It's degrading, its dishonorable! **Release your sword, dammit!**" Hoji growled and jumped a distance away. He took his sword up in its grip, his wrists overlapping and hands meeting, and started to pull in opposite directions.

"**Rip and Tear, _Torakaze!_" **His blade became whipping winds that circled and surrounded his forearms. A golden light began to shine out, and Hoji's shikai was formed. Two golden gauntlets covering from elbow to finger tip of each arm. The fingers were bladed and sharp like ten short, bendable daggers and the elbows had short golden spikes protruding out as extra stabbing points. Hoji took his pose with his arms out and his legs wide, leaning in toward Ikkaku, who stood with a mix of dread and excitement.

_It looks different than any shikai I've ever seen_ Ikkaku thought. _It's normal for a shikai to be a totally different weapon than a sword, but to think that his would be so far removed from resembling a sword...it even changed its color to gold instead of black! I didn't even think that could happen! What kind of hidden powers does his weapon have, though?_

"Tch" Hoji scoffed. "I can see you're a bit daunted by _Torakaze's_ awesomeness!"

"Shut up!" Ikkaku shouted with pouting lips. "I was _**not**_ admiring it, stupid!"

"Tch. Liar" Hoji said.

"Alright" Ikkaku lowed, "that's enough talk. Let's get fighting!" Ikkaku rushed in and made a lunging stab. Hoji, yet again, vanished, and all that remained of his presence was the wind that was kicked up from his incredible speed.

"You aren't good enough" Hoji said. He had appeared behind Ikkaku, at least five paces behind, calm and steadfast. Ikkaku slowly turned himself around with a slow and shallow cut forming from just under his left eye. "You might be able to fight a Hollow or even a lowly shinigami in your spare time, but you're not on the right level to fight with me. Until you learn to fight the wind, **you'll never beat me.**" Ikkaku's body tensed up. His grip on his spear tightened as his veins coursed with an excited rush of blood...

and he smiled.

* * *

Ikkaku remained determined to fight. He ignored the pain and turned to face Hoji's back once more. Hoji turned in full and rushed forward, quick and unseen like a gust of wind. Ikkaku stabbed without seeing and sent Hoji to his side in a defensive dodge. Ikkaku charged with his spear held up in an offensive striking pose and swung the blade down with all his strength. The gust of force he created hit Hoji, undaunted by the wind, and set him up for a quick follow-up. Ikkaku stabbed his spear from the ground and swung it up. Hoji turned away to avoid it, suddenly caught in a field of wild stabs and slashes. Ikkaku advanced with a blindingly-fast succession of attacks, thrusts and swings and random blunt jabs with with horsetail end of his shaft.

"Hahahahahahaha!" Ikkaku grunted as he swung, not in laughter but in excitement. "So you've got an annoying-looking shikai, big deal! It's got no range! No reach! In fact, in terms of weaponry, **I've already got you beat!**" Hoji grabbed the spear end of Hozukimaru and clutched it tightly in his bladed fingers. Ikkaku's barrage was stopped and his face registered a fearful shock. Hoji jerked him forward with his spear and planted a firm kick to his jaw. Ikkaku stumbled while Hoji advanced, well within the ineffective range of his spear. Hoji jabbed once into Ikkaku's gut to stun him and again to lift him from the ground. Then another punch for mockery followed by a more lifting knee attack and sealed with a finisher: a full-body-barrel-spin-foot-to-airborne-face-kick! Ikkaku spun through the air and skid slid across the hard ground of the school yard until the force had finally worn and he was stopped.

_Okay_ Ikkaku thought, _his range is a...moot point now. I'll have to use Hozukimaru's hidden technique already if I want to keep my edge in this fight!_ Unfortunately, Ikkaku had gravely underestimated just how moot of a point range was to Hoji. The wild man already started gathering a great amount of wind around his clawed fists to throw at his foe. Ikkaku recovered and started rushing forward with his spear-tip driving forward. Hoji wound back a fist and struck the air with an open hand. Five razor blades of wind zoomed through the air. Ikkaku rose his spear up and slashed them apart, rending the vacuum blades with his sheer, brute strength.

"Don't reduce yourself" Ikkaku snarled. "Fight me like a man! Up close, personal, where both of us can easily die!" Hoji lowered his arms and let disperse the wind around him. He flash-stepped in, just as Ikkaku's guard was recovered. Hoji wound his arm far back and swiped it in as a powerful five-bladed slash. Ikkaku turned his staff and blocked the blow, anticipating grimly that the blades of wind at such a close range would surely cut at his skin. Hoji just held his clawed fingers in place and gripped around Ikkaku's staff with a grin. With only one hand on the staff Hoji attempted to jostle control of the weapon from its owner's hands.

"Let go!" Ikkaku exclaimed.

"Tch, screw you!" Hoji said. "I've got control over your spear's center of balance! You can't attack me from this range anyway!" Ikkaku grinned. He pushed against Hoji and forced his grip to loosen. Then he planted a stern kick in Hoji's gut to keep him away. Ikkaku wound up a powerful, long-drawn swing of his spear and held it like a sword near the end of the shaft.

"Come on! Block this!" Ikkaku shouted. He swung down hard. Hoji brought his left arm up and blocked the attack but felt the pressure of the force as his arm was rolled back from the attack. He stopped it by pushing the spear blade aside with his right arm and attempted to rush forward past Ikkaku's main offense. Hoji missed his first punch and grabbed Ikkaku's horsetail spear shaft as he swung it in defense. Seeing no other path, Hoji attempted to use his legs but Ikkaku forced his spear into a downward position and blocked Hoji's legs by planting the blade into the ground. Hoji kicked the spear and jumped away. Ikkaku recovered his grip on his weapon and rushed in with a snarl. He stabbed at Hoji, reaching just too short, then again and again until he had a flurry of stabs flying. Hoji stopped them with a palm block and threw the blade aside, forcing Ikkaku into a half-step spin to follow his own weapon.

"You're running out of tricks, pal" Hoji lowed. Ikkaku grinned widely at that. As Hoji came in Ikkaku retreated at the same speed. He swung his weapon at Hoji's neck, too close for any kind of lethal swing. Then Hoji heard a click and looked to the side. **The shaft of Ikkaku's spear had bent, separated from itself but still held together by a thin chain inside the wooden shaft.** Hoji felt something brush his pigtail and made a hurried duck. Hozukimaru nearly clashed against itself while Hoji pressed his chest to the ground and leaped away on his fingertips and toes. Ikkaku spun his weapon over arm, shoulder and behind his back, a three-part staff with a sharp blade, a cleverly hidden true form. Hoji slowly rose up, staying on all fours for the time, and carefully analyzed the shift in Ikkaku's style.

"I hardly call it a trick" Ikkaku said. "It's more like an unexpected reveal in mid-combat. You hardly know that it happened at all until **it hits you!** Is that a trick?" Hoji stayed crouched and silent for a moment, staring up at Ikkaku with a stern tension in his brow.

"Tch" Hoji scoffed.

"What's that mean?" Ikkaku demanded. "You trying to be clever, you ass?"

"That's a nice surprise, alright" Hoji said. "Maybe now you'll be able to hold your own against me up close, right?" Hoji pounced! He came down on Ikkaku from his powerful crouching leap with both hands forward. He caught the blade and blunt middle of Ikkaku's spear and let his legs hang under him for a moment. Hoji kicked both his feet into Ikkaku's chest to flip back to his standing position and rushed forward, both palms open with fingers tense and half-curled. He made punching swipes with his claws, right then left, in rapid succession and at increasing speed. "Come on, come on, come on, come **OOONN!**"

"Shut up!" Ikkaku shouted. He was keeping his block up as fast as he could to meet Hoji's rapid clawing stabs with a part of his separated staff. Ikkaku caught Hoji's right wrist and wrapped it within the chained parts of his staff as a desperation move. Hoji still had one arm free but was too shocked to use it quickly, leaving his body open for Ikkaku to attack unarmed. He pulled Hoji in from his wrist and punched at his throat with a shout. Hoji let himself get knocked back and raked the air with his claw to stop himself from going to far. He then pushed himself up using the air itself and landed a **perfect headbutt, forehead-to-forehead, on Ikkaku.** Hoji's animosity glared out in his white, raging eyes as Ikkaku's weapon lost its grip and he faltered down to his back. Hoji immediately took a dominant pose by standing on Ikkaku's chest with his claws extended and uncurled.

"You're a good fighter" Hoji said. "You don't quit, you give it your all. You fight to the death and have fun doing it. Tch, that's pretty badass."

"A lot of people call that foolish" Ikkaku said with a groan. He managed to grin, however, as demeaned as he was at the moment. "I bet you've been called a fool more than once."

"I never tried counting that sort of thing" Hoji admitted. "I couldn't tell you." Hoji pressed himself down and jumped from Ikkaku's chest into a spiraling flip back to the ground a safe distance away. His arms were risen up to his chest and face level, ready for combat, while he waited for Ikkaku to recover himself.

"You're shikai is obviously stronger than mine" Ikkaku said. "Heh." He smirked. Hoji felt a strange discomfort in that particular grin. It was a look of dread more than one of excitement that he knew. Hoji could feel his own body slowly tensing up, his instincts preparing him for a hasty retreat like a crude animal's. "You know, I'm glad no one else showed up, honestly. They would've gotten in the way. And, honestly, I don't want anyone stealing the chance to fight with you on this level. They'd drag you into a fight that wouldn't be any fun, and that's obviously a bad thing, right?"

"Tch" Hoji began. "So you can guarantee me 'fun'?"

"**Oh Hell Yeah!"** Ikkaku roared. He held his spear out and swung it back over his head. One piece was in each arm with the middle piece behind his back, keeping them together. A swell of energy erupted from around him. The ground buckled at his might. A terrific power flooded and surged into the air, towering over Ikkaku and Hoji, marking their battlefield for miles around. Hoji's fear had peaked as the obviousness of his dangerous circumstances came to light. Yet, even in lieu of that, he forced out a smile.

"**BANKAAAI!"** Ikkaku roared. A hurricane of power swirled. Hoji could feel the motions of change in the air, though he couldn't immediately see them. When the winds reached him they automatically parted as if his skin as to sacred to touch, Hoji's instincts already guarding him from the most harmless things. Ikkaku's silhouette appeared first, followed by **three massive, connected, powerful weapons and a glorious lack of any residual spiritual energy.** Through that fog of wind and dust one could see the third-seat master-fighter's grin. **"_Ryumon Hozukimaru!_"** The point of no return was reached...for Hoji, that is.

* * *

The smoke and noise had fallen and left a clear air between the two dangerous men. Hoji faced down the extreme danger of a fully-released Bankai, a stage of power he'd never even seen in action yet.

"Tch" he scoffed. "You only have two hands, you know? One of those is pretty much useless right now!"

"Heh!" Ikkaku laughed. "I can already see the fear in your eyes from here! You didn't expect me to have this kind of power, did you?"

"I thought a Bankai would be a little more glorious, is all" Hoji said. "I mean, that _is_ pretty fierce looking, but..."

"But...?" Ikkaku asked, a vein in his forehead.

"Can you do anything with them...aside from swing them wildly?" Ikkaku snapped at Hoji's remark.

"**Like you've been doing ANYTHING ELSE?"** Ikkaku charged. Despite the enormous weapons he held he stayed as swift and fast as a shinigami would be in a battle. He swung down the bladed sword and smashed a crater in the ground. Hoji dashed to his side and threw a blade of air. Ikkaku blocked it with his spade-weapon and waved a great wind with it like a fan. Hoji split the air in two before it hit him with a chop and landed back on the ground still in mid-defense. Ikkaku swung his sword hard to the side. Hoji ducked under it, feeling a powerful rush of wind nearly knock him onto his side. Ikkaku swung the sharpened, round tip of his spade down like a sword just as Hoji jumped back to avoid it. Risking attack, Hoji dashed to the inside of the weapon and charged Ikkaku. Ikkaku lost his grip on both of his proper weapons and gripped the fan-like blade with the long dragon symbol etched onto its surface.

"This Bankai is only good for one thing! The only thing I need it to be good for!" Ikkaku punched the blade at Hoji. Unable to retreat as the loose chains connecting the weapons had gotten behind him, Hoji caught the blade as Ikkaku swung it down in a tight press between his hands. Ikkaku yanked at one of the chains and took up his spade again. He swung the blunt curve into Hoji's side and knocked him away. Hoji recovered just as Ikkaku had the blades back in both his hands again and began his charge forward. "**It's only good for fighting! That's the only reason to even _have_ a weapon! There should be no other ability other than to slash and cut and smash apart! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING OF?"** Hoji blocked a heavy swing with his arm but was knocked in a slide and had his arm pressed hard into his side. Ikkaku kept up his attack and attacked from Hoji's unguarded side. Hoji tried to grab the weapon but was pushed against the other with his gauntlet still blocking it. The pressure of Ikkaku's strength pressed into Hoji from both sides with both weapons. Hoji felt himself in a powerful press as his foe continued his unrelenting offensive strike.

In a desperate gambit, Hoji bit the inside of his cheek and drew some blood. He swished it into his spit and formed out of it a sharp point inside his mouth. _"Chitantou!"_ he shouted as he spat the blood-dagger at Ikkaku. The liquid blade grazed his face and made him flinch, just enough to loosen the tight hold he had on Hoji from the left, allowing the nimble warrior to push himself free and rush in on Ikkaku head-on. He started his counter with a stern upward punch to the gut. Then followed with another and kept Ikkaku airborne. He grabbed him with both hands at his sides and, with a growling roar, tossed Ikkaku and both his mighty heavy blades to the side. Ikkaku landed in a roll and pushed himself up quickly just as Hoji had separated himself off with a field of swirling winds.

"You done fighting me for real already?" Ikkaku shouted. "Come on. We're still in the midst of fighting! Don't crap out on me now! Come on and punch me! Kick me! Hell, headbutt me again, it was cool! **You're not hiding behind that kido-whatsit crap, are ya?"**

"Tch" Hoji smirked. "He who understands nothing shall fear it. Where knowledge lacks fear floods in to fill the gaps. You ever heard that before, pal?"

"...uh, no, I haven't" Ikkaku said. "Where'd you learn that?"

"**Common animal instinct"** Hoji lowed. He clapped his bladed gauntlet palms together and created a vacuum, a destructive vortex devoid of air and wind. Hoji wound up his destructive ball which a small twister of energy had wrapped around, and tossed it with all his might at Ikkaku. He blocked his best with both his weapons and felt the dullness of the hard thud against them. Already, Ryumon Hozukimaru was starting to wear and his weapons showed definite signs of fatigue.

_Damn_ Ikkaku thought. _That one attack nearly broke both my blades! If I hadn't blocked that it might've even broken me! This guy's powers are actually pretty damn dangerous! I wonder what his Bankai looks like...or if he even has one..._

"You through screwing around yet?" Ikkaku shouted. "Come on! Get up to my level already!"

"I'm past that now" Hoji said. He dashed in, claws forward, and stopped just outside of Ikkaku's range. Ikkaku made a winding swing with his large sword and Hoji hopped back from it. A wave of wind came his way and the golden-fisted warrior grabbed it tightly and spun it around, increasing its velocity with each rotation he forced himself into. Finally, with an unnecessary high-pitched cry of "**WA-HAAA!**", Hoji tossed the wind at Ikkaku. Though he blocked the force of his own force multiplied by its incredible speed sent him backwards and into the wall of the nearby school building. His swords were still up and now their blades began to crack from the wrathful pounding they had taken.

"Tch" Hoji scoffed. "You can't be done _now!_ I'm just getting **STARTED!**" Ikkaku swung both his weapons out and stepped out into the open, facing Hoji down with a menacing glare. His face and his chest were marred with scuffs and dried blood. He let go his grip of his two main weapons and grabbed the fan-blade above his head. The dragon emblem had been filled up to the first set of small arms, nearly a tenth of its full way, so Ikkaku decided to spin it and super-charge its power meter. Hoji clapped his blades together and scraped together the blades of each finger. He repeated it again and again, building up a mighty wind around his body that seemed to freeze itself in place with shallow funnels of dust lingering just over the ground. "I'm gonna tear you into ribbons, pal!"

"Heh" Ikkaku grinned. "You know, I wouldn't doubt that, but I'm sorry for you. **I'm winning this fight!**" That raw determination echoed into Hoji, whose animistic grin and shining white eyes only seemed to intensify. Hoji fell forward to his hands and toes. He crouched amidst his invisible field of blades like a tiger and stretched his back just before his pounce. Then he started running, like the monster he was, towards his foe, and the razor-winds followed him. The slicing swish of blades surrounded Hoji like a roaring wind. The vacuum blades he made surrounded him as he rushed forward, distorting the air and his features, making him the **running shadow of a fierce predator.**

Ikkaku stopped his blade quickly and swung it down. The chains holding the two swords burst off, leaving only the shining, super-destructive fan-blade with the dragon emblem fully charged and glowing red. A mighty red battle aura surrounded Ikkaku as he charged to meet Hoji. "Here it comes, you crazy bastard! **HOOORYAAAA!**"

"NO MERCY!" Hoji roared. "_**KARITORA ARASHIIIIII!**_" Hoji swiped his claws forward, transforming his already shadowy hidden body into that of a tiger at the last second. All the blades, invisible and deadly around him, whipped together into the roar of a mighty tiger just as Ikkaku swung his blade forward and cleanly passed the pouncing Hoji! They stood apart, backs facing with a respectable gap between. No winds blew, for they were too afraid. Then a cracking of metal was heard, more akin to the slow breaking of a ceramic vase.

"Tch"scoffed Hoji. "What a waste. All that energy and all it's good for is swinging a bunch of metal around. No speed, no special abilities. Just a lust of battle stupidly personified." Then Torakaze, his duel gauntlets, **shattered off of his own arms. **He bled from his mouth and fell, a slow puddle of blood extending out from the side of his body. Ikkaku was bloody all over. A myriad of shallow wounds covered him from his feet to his round, bald head, but he was able to stand and smile. His sword returned to its normal form, as did Hoji's in a less usable state, and the third-seat of the modern combat division sheathed his sword with victorious pride.

"Yup" Ikkaku said. With that, his battle won, Ikkaku departed. He had to get to his body before anyone noticed that he had left it lying around on the roof unattended...

* * *

And so...oh wait, quotes. Right.

"And so" I announced, "the battle has ended! Surely a valient and brave effort was made by both fighters, but in the end, Bankai beat out Brute-ass-strength!"

"Well, not exactly" Hoji said, well and bandaged up on the loser's podium. "I mean, his Bankai _was_ just brute-ass-strength, wasn't it?"

"Enough to kick your ass, pal!" Ikkaku exclaimed, standing a foot or so higher on his own pedestal. I stood between them, holding up the score thus far. One win for Canon and a single tie attributing a half-point to each side.

"Tch" Hoji scoffed. "You know, we should reconcile this fight like men. I mean, it was a damn-good fight, don'tcha think?"

"Indeed, men" I said. "A fine fight deserves an equally fine reception."

"Then let's get drunk!" Ikkaku exclaimed. My charisma was lost. Fictional though I am presently, I'm still a minor.

"Uh, let's not." I said.

"Are there any pretty girls to get drunk with us?" Hoji asked. Before I knew it, they walked arm-over-shoulder together into Karakura town.

"You should see the racks on some of these girls" Ikkaku said. "It's almost worth living here for."

"Man, that's a good life!" Hoji exclaimed. And so, no matter who won, in the end I seemed to lose the most. But thankfully, _you all_ got to win from this!

* * *

Karitora Arashi: Tiger-hunting Storm


End file.
